How reliance on car control can hinder F1 drivers
Balancing a car on the ragged edge for lap after lap entertains the fans, says Ben Edwards, but in the record books the drivers who work more subtly tend to be higher achievers.
Extreme car control is a joy to behold. Photographs of Ronnie Peterson applying opposite lock around the old Woodcote corner at Silverstone, or replays of Max Verstappen saving his Red Bull from impact against Armco barriers in Brazil in 2016, give us a visual treat of seeing driving skills at the highest level.
Verstappen has delivered plenty of other moments to relish, such as his perfect 360-degree spin at Hockenheim in 2019, which didn’t prevent him from winning the race, and his reactive save of a sideways restart at Imola this year. Training in karts on slick tyres in the rain under the watchful guidance of his father Jos Verstappen helped the young man develop a truly instinctive feel for the correction of anything on four wheels.
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